International Women’s Day 2026
Women’s lives and climate are deeply interwoven. Around the world, women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change, yet they are also the ones leading the work to build safe and healthy futures for all. The global coalition, Women Leading on Climate, highlights this reality in their work, noting that women are often at the forefront of climate and Nature action.
To honour the crucial role women and girls are playing around the world, our team created a resource page that holds a special place in our hearts: Women Leading in Climate & Nature. We’ve curated inspiring organizations founded and led by women who are advancing solutions for justice and climate action, clean water, healthy food systems, and safer environments for families and communities. The page is meant to be both a resource and a celebration – and we hope you’ll be part of it. The second half of the page is dedicated to Meet Some More Dynamic Leaders, and we invite you to share your story with us. Follow the link, fill out the form, and allow us to celebrate you, and the work you are doing, by featuring your story alongside these other remarkable women. We can’t wait to hear from you.
-Michèle Andrews, Co-Founder & Executive Director
Climate Action Is Indigenous Action!
Across Canada, Indigenous leadership is playing a vital role in advancing climate and Nature solutions rooted in deep relationships with the land. Organizations such as Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) are helping lead the way. ICA is a national, Indigenous-led group promoting climate justice, supporting youth leadership, and strengthening community resilience through Indigenous knowledge and land stewardship. Indigenous people have cared for these lands for thousands of years, and meaningful climate solutions must honour Indigenous rights, knowledge systems, and leadership – an important part of continuing our work of Truth and Reconciliation.
Alongside ICA, other inspiring initiatives are helping educators and communities reconnect with the land. We are proud to partner with the Outdoor Learning School & Store that supports educators in bringing students outdoors to learn about ecosystems, sustainability and Indigenous perspectives through land-based education. The Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning in the Northwest Territories offers Indigenous-led Post-secondary accredited programs, research and environmental programs where students learn directly from Elders and knowledge keepers. And, the Learning the Land initiative through the Treaty Education Alliance helps schools deepen their understanding of treaty relations, Indigenous ecological knowledge, and stewardship. In their words: “Understanding our connection to the land will give life to what the land can teach us, how it communicates with us and how it looks after all life upon it. The land has a way to strengthen all things.”
Calling All Leaders!
We’re ready for the next cohort in our Climate Action Accelerator Program.
Schools are so much more than institutions of formal education. The CAAP helps schools realize their potential as powerful sources of inspiration and catalysts for action. The climate and Nature plans that schools create with us span all aspects of the school operations: strategy and governance, culture, curricular and co-curricular programs, buildings and grounds.
We continue to believe in audacious hope-filled plans – in their power to give way to regenerative practices that spread into community, government, and business.
In 2026, like many other leading schools, say YES! Learn more about our Climate Action Accelerator Program and book an information session with us.
Note that our program is structured for independent schools. We are working behind the scenes to determine how we can bring this work to public school districts. Stay tuned!
Schools Climate Action Lab
We are thrilled to partner with For Our Kids on the Schools Climate Action Lab. For Our Kids is a network of parents, guardians, and grandparents, united by concern for our children’s future and determination to take action to reduce the impacts of climate change.
Schools are the heart of our communities, and the Schools Climate Action Lab is designed to help families take greater action.
Whether parents are pushing for electric school buses or clean energy cooling systems in classrooms, the Lab will provide: a step-by-step guide to map the school community, expert-led live sessions, and personalized 1:1 coaching. The Lab will also provide microgrants to help turn strategies into reality! Together, DoorNumberOne.org and For Our Kids, is building a movement too powerful to ignore! Interested in learning more? Check out our web page for everything you need to know!
Sign the Climate + Nature Leadership Pledge
We believe that schools can change the world. Do you? We invite you to check out our Climate + Nature Leadership Pledge! It will galvanize your school community and channel your collective passion for climate and Nature action.
There are now 10 exceptional schools that have made this commitment – will you join them? Be a TRAILBLAZER. Take the Pledge!
Hillfield Strathallan College – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
TFS Canada’s International School – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Mulgrave School – West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Appleby College – Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Lower Canada College – Montréal, Québec, Canada
Stratford Hall – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
St. Margaret’s – Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Ashbury College – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Meadowridge School – Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada
Upper Canada College – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Introducing BugQuest
In 2026, schools and community sites across Canada are invited by BugQuest to host a simple insect trap and help document local insect biodiversity using DNA barcoding.
host schools (& other sites) place the trap outdoors during the sampling season and change the collection bottle once a week.
BugQuest provides the full kit, support materials, shipping, and analysis.
The project is designed to connect people with the insect life around them while contributing to a larger effort to better understand Canada’s biodiversity.More information, including the sign-up form, can be found here!
Please share this newsletter with your students, friends and colleagues looking for practical inspiration for taking climate and nature action in schools and communities, and join us in building a movement too exciting to resist, and too powerful to ignore!
Connect with us!
DoorNumberOne.org is a Canadian charity proudly catalyzing bold climate and nature action in and through schools.
DoorNumberOne.org is a Canadian charity proudly catalyzing bold climate and nature action in and through schools. Read our Strategic Plan here.
Climate Action Accelerator Program costs are covered by participating schools, but there is so much else we are doing to share our resources and learning for all. If you want to support this work, please donate here, with our sincere thanks.